We made it to Delhi

Good evening! We made it to Delhi. You wouldn't think things would be much different from Bangalore to Delhi, but there is quite a change! I enjoyed my experience in Bangalore and the hosts were superb!

But, after a great domestic flight, we landed in Delhi. Our hosts from QA InfoTech were there to meet us as soon as we collected our luggage. It's funny how different the two states can be. However, there's one thing in common -- our hosts are spectacular! They know how to treat their guests. Last night we arrived at the hotel about 10:00 or 10:30 PM. We were then treated to a wonderful dinner and welcoming celebration. Mukesh, who I believe is the CEO of QA IntoTech, was there to greet us. We've been treated like royalty ever since we arrived here in Delhi.

We held meetings this morning and into the afternoon. Once we left the office, we had a very nice girl (and I say girl because she's young and vibrant) treat us to a tour of downtown Delhi. We enjoyed learning more about Delhi and the various cultural differences.

To me, this is all fine and good, but I've still been longing for the everyday life of the Indians. Tonight, I think we achieved that. We were invited to Mukesh's house for dinner. All of us, plus several of Mukesh's team members (I wish I could remember all their names), joined us for dinner. One of QA Infotech's senior managent members cooked for us and the dinner was great. I think it was the lamb that was cooked so perfectly. I didn't even think I liked lamb, but the spices were just right.

Anyway, we sat around and just talked about life for a good portion of the night. We talked about values and money and the importance of family. One thing is for sure, Indian people in general, have strong family values. This is very refreshing. We all talked about our families and how much they mean to us. We talked about the value of money vs. the value of wealth. Oh, what great conversations we had. Although all of hosts are considered upper class here in India, they have a genuine concern for their own. They are so proud of their country, yet even the wealthy admit that the poverty levels are difficult to overlook. And, even if I wasn't sitting side-by-side with the ones living in tents or without employment, I felt a certain sense of connection.

When I returned to my room, I tried to connect to the Internet. Afer I realized that I needed a special sign-in and password, I called the front desk. Again, they were most accomodating. Five minutes later they called me back with a username and password to log in. But, I only have one hour, so I beter make the best of it.

My trip to India has been so refreshing. Our hosts have been way better than I would have ever imagined. We have seen some very different ways of life and the overall experience has been amazing.

This is probably the last time I will get a chance to write to the blog as we are leaving tomorrow for Agra. We are then getting up at 5:00 AM to tour the Taj Mahal on Saturday morning. We will spend all of Saturday touring around and then we fly out of Delhi on Saturday night after mightnight. Hopefully, I'll be so tired that I'll be able to fall asleep on the flights home. We do have a 5-hour layover in France, but that's after the first 12-hour leg of the flight.

As I think about this experience again I am humbled. I appreciate the luxuries of home, yet I long for the same sense of family values and pride that my partners here in India have shown me. I feel as though I have made lasting friendships with many of these people. The project manager from Ascendum and I have becomes buddies. She understands my odd sense of humor and undoutedly we will share a bond that can do nothing but enhance our working relationship.

Life here in Delhi is different - there's more room here, so the traffic is not quite as crazy. Don't get me wrong, there's still traffic, but it's a little bit more organized chaos. Picutures can't describe the value of a trip like this. Unfortunately, at 1:00 AM, my words can't do justice either.

All I can say at this point is...."If you ever get an opportunity to travel to India, don't say No." It's not perfect here; you'll see things that truly upset you. But, you'll also meet people who make you understand the important things in life.

Gotta run before I get disconnected. Until I can do a good recap, please take care of yourself and your families. I am safe and looking foward to returning home to see my own family!